Absolute Return for Kids

Absolute Return for Kids (ARK) "is an international charity whose purpose is to transform children’s lives.

"Founded in 2002 by a group of leaders in the alternative investment industry, pooling their skills and resources to improve the life chances of children, ARK delivers high social returns on philanthropic investment.

"Originally a grant-making organisation, ARK’s delivery model was changed to maximise its impact and ensure strong accountability. ARK deploys the funds it raises by setting up and managing its own teams who are responsible for implementing its programmes.

"ARK brings together passionate experts with the best talent from business to deliver its vision on the ground under the leadership of its Board of Trustees.

"Employing over 1,200 staff directly and through partners, ARK’s programmes are highly focused on meeting pre-defined strategic goals in the areas of HIV/AIDS (South Africa, Mozambique), Education (UK, India) and Children in Care (Eastern Europe)."

ARK's chairman is French hedge fund tycoon Arpad A. Busson. However, ARK's connections with the hedge fund industry go deeper than the background of its chairman. Unusually for an educational charity, ARK chose the journal HedgeFund Intelligence to advertise in late 2005 for a Programmes Director and Communications and Fundraising Director. The advertisement stated that "ARK's trustees [are] drawn predominantly from within the hedge fund industry". 

An August 2005 bulletin published by the public sector union UNISON described ARK in unflattering terms:
 * A charity funded with millions made in City fund dealing wants to develop a network of city academies in the UK, modelled on American charter schools. The ludicrously named Absolute Return for Kids (ARK) has no experience of running education services in the UK and was recently thrown off an academy scheme in Islington North, London in June after the governors of one of the schools involved voted against. (296KB PDF)


 * Charles Abani - Managing Director, International
 * Sally Morgan (Baroness Morgan of Huyton), Advisor to the Board

Trustees
Accessed March 2009:


 * Arpad A. Busson, Chairman
 * Paul Dunning
 * Stanley Fink
 * David Gorton
 * Kevin Gundle
 * Paul Marshall (ARK)
 * Jennifer Moses
 * Blaine Tomlinson

Patrons
Accessed March 2009:

Honorary Patrons


 * Sir Elton John
 * Lily Safra

Patrons
 * Elena Ambrosiadou
 * John Armitage
 * Paul Brewer
 * Jamie Cooper-Hohn & Chris Cooper-Hohn
 * Nick Finegold
 * Florence Finegold & Martin Finegold
 * Christine Fisher & Todd Fisher
 * Giancarlo Garuti
 * Carlo Grosso
 * Roger Guy
 * Ollie Holtby & Nick Holtby
 * Dambisa Moyo
 * Amanda Newson & [[Martin Newson
 * Andrew Preston
 * Bianca Roden & Stuart Roden
 * Emmanuel Roman
 * Bernard Sabrier
 * Robin Saunders
 * Jessica Sweidan & Adam Sweidan

Corporate Patrons
 * Aspect Capital
 * Bloomberg
 * BlueCrest Capital Management
 * Financial Risk Management
 * GLC Limited
 * Lydian Asset Management
 * Man Group
 * Winton Capital Management

Contact

 * Web: http://www.arkonline.org